Verifiable carrier payment method for returning merchandise
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorRonald P. Sansone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Merchandise Return Label may be printed with a unique number on a buyer's computer printer and paid for by the seller's postage meter. Goods mailed with the Merchandise Return Label will be considered metered mail. Returned goods may be delivered directly to the buyer, and postal employees will not have to manually complete the Merchandise Return Label. Since the mailing of the returned goods was paid for by a postage meter, the Post Office would not have to receive payment from the seller when the seller receives the package.
Claims21
A method for a buyer to return goods to a seller, said method includes the steps of:
- A) packing buyer ordered goods in a container addressed to the buyer;
- B) affixing a metered indicia to the container, that identifies the container and its contents, which is charged to a seller's meter for delivery of the container;
- C) sending information in the indicia, the buyer's address and container contents to one or more data centers;
- D) delivering the container to the buyer;
- E) notifying a data center of the buyer's intention to return all or some of the goods in the container;
- F) forming at the data center a label having a metered indicia that has a unique number that information contained in the indicia that was affixed to the container in step B, wherein the indicia formed at the data center is charged to the seller's meter;
- G) delivering the label to the buyer;
- H) affixing the label to the container or affixing the label to a return container containing the goods the buyer is returning to the seller;
- and
- I) delivering the container having the returned goods to the seller.
A method for a buyer to return goods to a seller, said method includes the steps of:
- A) delivering buyer ordered goods in a container addressed to the buyer having a metered indicia affixed to the container, that identifies the container and its contents, which is charged to a seller's meter for delivery of the container;
- B) sending information in the indicia, the buyer's address and container contents to one or more data centers;
- C) delivering the container to the buyer;
- D) notifying a data center of the buyer's intention to return all or some of the goods in the container;
- E) forming at the data center a label having a metered indicia that has a unique number that information contained in the indicia that was affixed to the container in step A, wherein the indicia formed at the data center is charged to the seller's meter;
- and
- F) delivering the container with the labels affixed thereto and containing the returned goods to the seller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.